NOW to lead an International Women's Day Delegation to Venezuela

January 25, 2006

The National Organization for Women, together with Global Exchange and the US Women and Cuba Collaboration, will lead a delegation from the United States to Venezuela to participate in the Venezuelan Solidarity Delegation March 5-16. Executive Vice President Olga Vives will be one of the leaders attending the conference.

March 8, International Women's Day, is an opportunity for NOW leaders and activists to highlight the struggles that women all over the world face today and to call for steps to advance the status of women in the United States and abroad. It is fitting that this year NOW celebrates International Women's Day with 10 days of cross-cultural learning with feminist activists and leaders in Latin America.

The delegation will meet with Venezuelan women who are working to end poverty, violence, racism and sexism through an evolving new social model. The goal is to learn about their struggles and to bring back stories of their experiences to share with women and communities in the United States. Using community-based activities and social forums to share information gathered during the visit, NOW activists will have opportunities to work in solidarity with women around the world. This conference will help NOW mold our domestic work to influence United States trade policies, legislation and political actions that hurt women and children through poverty, corruption, hunger and injustice.

Participants will meet in Caracas, Venezuela on March 5 and return to the United States on March 16. Individuals make their own flight arrangements; hotels and some meals are included in the cost of $1150 per person. You must register for the trip through Global Exchange using their online registration form. Once you register, you will be sent a detailed itinerary. Please indicate that you learned about this trip from the National Organization for Women on the registration form.

We invite you to travel with NOW, Global Exchange and US Women & Cuba Collaboration to celebrate the empowerment of women across borders during International Women's Day. Activist traveling on this trip will represent diverse communities in terms of race, age and life experiences. A limited number of scholarships are available for low-income applicants.

For more information, costs and logistics, and to register, please visit Global Exchange's website or call toll free at 1-800-4987-1994 and ask for Zach.